experience

When browsing through the websites of different volunteer travel companies and organizations you can notice a small, but very important difference. Whereas many offers can be booked immediately online, others request the potential volunteer to apply first. So, where are the differences and why are they so important? Why should there be a selection process at all? Being serious about volunteering For the client – or the applicant – […]

The United Nations declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. As we set sail into 2017, it is imperative to be reminded of the human rights implications of tourism. Facebook recently notified me that three years ago, I was volunteering in Cambodia. A photo of a group of us after a rice distribution served to remind me of my naiivity and the pressing need to educate […]

The German government and civil society organizations are conducting an interesting experiment – and apparently a pretty successful one, too. Within the last four years almost 2000 volunteers from countries of the global south – development countries – came to Germany for their reverse voluntary service. They work in kindergartens, support local NGOs and international development agencies, support schools and work with elderly people. The important thing: Volunteers don’t have to […]

A unique documentary outlining the challanges of a normal volunteer “The Voluntourist” is a 30 min documentary questioning the impact of international volunteering on local communities. The film does not aim to list all the possible negative impacts of poorly arranged international volunteering programs, but instead raises certain overarching questions through a series of interviews. From a past voluntourist for futur volunteers This movie is for everyone who is planning to volunteer […]

Learning Service: Learning Service is a great campaign which was established for people who want to learn before we they help. The organization is helping to reform the way people think about voluntourism. They advocate through very active social media channels. We use their facebook and twitter page to stay updated about intercultural learning campaigns and voluntourism. They also developed a very informative series about how to volunteer and voluntourism […]